Disappointing.
The City Council’s decision to approve the rezoning case on West Street (Z-12-25), adjacent to the Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood, is hard to understand – unless, that is, you understand that a majority of Council always approves rezoning cases, no matter how outsized, because the development industry controls them.
But what about the city’s Comprehensive Plan? Does Council just ignore it?
Yes.
The Comprehensive Plan includes transition zones between central-core downtown locations, where the tallest buildings are allowed, and nearby neighborhoods with houses, like Glenwood-Brooklyn.
Transition zones make sense. Tall buildings have their place. Houses have their place. In between, the building heights should taper down so the two things can happily co-exist.
This is what the Comprehensive Plan says. In fact, the transition zone where the Z-12-25 site exists was specifically added to the Comp Plan two years ago by a previous Council when it rejected virtually the same rezoning case that the new Council approved Tuesday night.
Thus, the outcome of the Z-12-25 case should have been a foregone conclusion.
No, should have been the outcome.
But the Raleigh City Council has a way of disappointing. It was disappointing when Mary-Ann Baldwin was mayor and carried the development industry’s water. Anyone who expected the new mayor, Janet Cowell, to be different, well, you just don’t understand who paid for Cowell’s election.
The development industry.
Disappointing. But not surprising.
Credit to Council members Jane Harrison and Christina Jones for voting no. Harrison’s district includes the Z-12-25 site. That made no difference, apparently, to the six other Council members who voted yes. Including Cowell.
The new mayor, like the old one, understands the basic principle: No matter how outsized, rezoning cases always succeed.
Livable Raleigh Editorial Team
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